Gerardo "Gerry" R. Barrios, shareholder in the Mandeville office, concentrates his practice in the areas of construction law and commercial litigation. Mr. Barrios has broad experience with international commercial disputes between U.S. and foreign companies, product liability, toxic torts, expropriation, appellate litigation and other areas of general commercial litigation. He has substantial litigation experience handling complex cases before federal and state courts, as well as through the use of alternative dispute resolution, such as arbitration and mediation.
In the areas of construction law, Mr. Barrios has represented owners, contractors, subcontractor and design professionals in all aspects of construction, including construction contract negotiation and drafting, pre-claim counseling during construction, and resolving construction disputes before Federal and State courts and arbitration panels. His dispute resolution experience includes representation on claims of breach of contract, change orders, defective work, delay, disruption, inefficiency, differing site conditions, unfair trade practices, liens, Miller Act claims and other construction-related claims.
Mr. Barrios previously practiced law as a partner in the commercial litigation group of the New Orleans office of Phelps Dunbar, LLP for ten years and as an associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Covington & Burling for two years. He also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Robert R. Beezer on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Seattle, Washington, from 1987 – 1988. Mr. Barrios' family is from Colombia, South America, and he speaks Spanish.
- Co-Author – "A 'Consumer' in One Jurisdiction May Not Have Standing in Another, " ABA Business Torts Journal, Vol. 14, No. 3, Spring 2007
- Co-Author – "Standing Under the LUTPA – The Circuit Split Widens," Louisiana Bar Journal, Vol. 54, No. 5, February/March 2007
- Speaker – "Hurricane Katrina: Recovery and Future Prospects," British-American Project Annual Conference, Birmingham, England, November 2005
- Speaker – "Defining the Public interest, British-American Project Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., November 2002
- Louisiana Technology Journal, former contributing author
- "What to Do Now - the Legal Aspects of Y2K," Louisiana Technology Journal, 1999, contributing author
- "Y2K and the Law," Louisiana Technology Journal, 1999, contributing author
- "The Alien Tort Statute: Domestic Enforcement of Customary International Law," Essays on International Human Rights, 1991
- Speaker, "CLE Seminar on Technology Legal Issues," Tulane Law School
- American Bar Association
- Assistant Secretary, Council of the ABA section of International Law & Practice (2000 – 2001)
- Co-Chair, Unfair Trade Practices Subcommittee of the Business Torts Litigation Committee, ABA Section of Litigation (2006 – 2010)
- Editor, ABA Business Torts Journal (2009 – 2010)
- Forum on the Construction Industry
- Former Member, Dispute Resolution Section
- Practice Assistance and Improvement Committee
- Alternative Dispute Resolution Section
- Legal Fee Dispute Subcommittee
- Louisiana State Bar Association
- New Orleans Bar Association
- AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of Construction Law since 2009
- Recognized as a "Top Lawyer" in Construction Law by New Orleans Magazine, 2010
- Leadership St. Tammany (Class of 2006)
- Associate Member – Associated Builders and Contractors
- Member – Tulane Latin American Law Institute since 2009
- Member – Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana
- Member – Hispanic Lawyers Association of Louisiana
- Member – Greater Covington Bar Association
- Member – World Trade Center of New Orleans
- Selected by New Orleans CityBusiness to its Power Generation III - 2001 ("Forty Faces of the Future" - One of "40 outstanding and promising professionals under the age of 40 who are making a mark as a leader in business and their profession, and who are innovative, energetic and successful with their own careers and in the community.")
- U.S. Fellow and Regional Nominating Chairman - British-American Project
- U.S. Delegate – British-American Project Conference, Harrogate, U.K. (Nov. 1999)
- Charter Member and Co-Founder, George Washington Latino Law Alumni Association
- Executive Board Member – George Washington Law Alumni Association (1998 – 2002, 2009 – present); Strategic Planning Committee (2009 – present)
- Arbitrator, Legal Fee Dispute Arbitration Program, Louisiana State Bar Association
- NITA Trial Advocacy Graduate, July 1998, San Diego, CA
- Law Firm Representative – Trade Mission to Honduras and Guatemala, MetroVision/Chamber of Commerce (June 1997)
- Hiring Partner (1996 – 1998) and United Way Partner (1996), Phelps Dunbar, LLP
- Louisiana, 1992
- District of Columbia, 1989
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana
- George Washington University Law School, J.D., 1987, High Honors; Articles Editor, George Washington Law Review; Order of the Coif; Honors, Moot Court
- Louisiana State University, B.A., 1984, summa cum laude
- University of Essex, Centre of International Human Rights Law, 1989 (Rotary Foundation Scholar)